The industrial treatment of long pasta is known, by means of automated treatment devices in which the pasta is made to pass through a fluid, for example water, water vapor, air or other means, able to carry out the desired treatment on the pasta, for example cooking, or pre-cooking. The treatments are typically carried out downstream of the machine that forms the pasta.
It is also known that long pasta may need, during or after the production process, one or more steps of rest or stabilization, or simply of storage, during which it is necessary to give support to the product for the time needed to complete the step cited.
In particular, a first treatment device for pasta is known with a linear extension, in which the movement of the pasta with respect to the fluid occurs by means of a conveyor belt in a tank containing the fluid.
A second device is known of the suspended type in which the pasta is suspended from transverse bars which run on chains along the length of the tank containing the fluid.
As the length of the tank is directly proportional to the speed of feed and to the cooking time of the pasta, the use of these two types of known device, in the case of pasta of a greater thickness and/or in the case of higher speeds of feed, causes considerable horizontal bulk of the treatment plant.
A third device with a vertical extension is also known, in which the development of the conveyor belt for the pasta is on several levels. This brings about problems relating to the raising of the level of the fluid and consequent height of the tank. In fact, the need to vary the level of the fluid causes an increased consumption of energy, and the height of the tank makes the bottom of the tank difficult to access for maintenance operations.
A device is also known for treating pasta which provides the use of frames equipped with rollers which rotate reciprocally, allowing the immersion of the pasta in the tank of fluid, with a substantially zigzag path. If the pasta breaks, this means the plant has to be re-started and the pieces of broken pasta have to be removed from the bottom of the tank only by emptying the tank itself.
Purpose of the present invention is to make an apparatus, and perfect a method and a relative plant for the treatment of products, for example, but not only, food products, which overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.